Avani Lekhara Paralympics: Makes History at the Paris Paralympics
Avani Lekhara defended her gold medal from Tokyo three years earlier in the R2 Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1. At Chateauroux Final Range, she set an Olympic Record score of 249.7 for this event.
India made their mark at the 2024 Paris Paralympics by winning two medals, as Lekhara claimed gold and debutante Mona Agarwal won bronze.
Her Journey
After being involved in a life-altering car accident, Avani Lekhara was left paralyzed below her waist – yet that did not diminish her dreams or determination to excel. With the support of her family, she soon took up shooting as a sport and has gone on to make India proud with her extraordinary talent.
As part of her remarkable career achievements, the highlight was winning India’s inaugural gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics 2021 and her unprecedented double gold at the Paris Games this year.
Avani remains committed to her academic goals despite her hectic training schedule and has enrolled in a five-year law degree program at the University of Rajasthan.
On Friday, Avani made history when she successfully defended her women’s 10m air rifle SH1 title in Paris with an outstanding 249.7 score – breaking her own Paralympic record set three years prior in Tokyo and setting a new Paralympic mark herself! Mona Agarwal of India earned bronze with 2287.7.
The First Gold
Avani Lekhara made history at the Paris Paralympics by successfully defending her gold medal in women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1. She broke her Paralympic record of 249.7 to claim victory and became the first Indian shooter ever to achieve such an accomplishment.
Lekhara had already won this event at the Tokyo Paralympics three years prior when she shot 246.8 to claim silver. Mona Agarwal of Rajasthan made her Games debut and took bronze with 228.7.
Shooter Sapana Jaipur-based shooter, considered India’s first athlete to win two medals at one Paralympics, has set her sights on more medals this time. Her training regime for this competition has been intense, and she believes her best performances lie ahead – she wants to be on top of the podium in her remaining events.
The Second Gold
After winning gold in the 10m air rifle standing SH1, Avani won another medal, taking home bronze in mixed team 50 meter pistol SH1. She became the first Indian shooter ever to achieve this feat, becoming the first Indian to do so twice at successive editions of the Paralympics.
Rajasthan native Mona Agarwal began her Paris campaign by winning both events of the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event: she successfully defended the title she won at Tokyo 2020 while also breaking her previous record score of 249.6 points set during that Games. Agarwal joined Agrawal on the podium as she placed third with 228.7 points scored.
Avani and Mona fought hard for their respective podium finishes at Chateauroux range’s tight final, where Avani showed her determination and composure under pressure as she successfully held her nerve during a nail-biting final shot from Lee Yunri to claim gold with one final attempt; unfortunately Lee just missed it by decimal points, giving Avani an incredible 10.5 and becoming only second Indian after javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia to attain this achievement across back-to-back Olympic Games.
The Third Gold
Lekhara followed up her excellent Tokyo 2020 performance with another gold medal performance at Paris 2024 in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, shooting an impressive final score of 249.7 and breaking her Paralympic record three years prior. Compatriot Mona Aggarwal finished in third place.
Jaipur-born 22-year-old Lakshmi Sharma had an uphill climb leading up to the Paralympic Games as she battled various health issues – such as gall bladder surgery – but she didn’t let this stop her from reaching her goals.
In the qualifying round, she placed second with 625.8, while Agarwal finished fourth at Chateauroux- Final Range thanks to a clutch end he used at Chateauroux to make it into the top four. Both athletes will return on Sunday for the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 final – their debut performance in that event!
